The number of Americans receiving food stamps is now falling at a faster clip, with more than 1.2 million people moving out of the program between October and February, according to federal data.

As of February, the most recent data available, 46.2 million Americans received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. That’s the lowest level since August 2011 and down from the March 2013 peak of 47.7 million people. The $5.8 billion in benefits paid out in February was the lowest level since at least 2010.

SNAP enrollment ballooned after the financial crisis and continued growing for several years, in part because of high levels of unemployment, expanded eligibility rules, and an aggressive government outreach effort to sign up more Americans. Just 28.2 million Americans received the benefits in 2008, but almost 20 million more joined the program in the next few years. A person’s benefits depends on family size and income levels, among other things.

The rapid rise of SNAP enrollment has drawn numerous political fights, becoming a hotly debated topic during the 2012 presidential election and beyond. GOP candidate Newt Gingrich famously called President Barack Obama “the best food-stamp president in American history.” And this past February, former Vice President Dick Cheney said in response to proposed cuts in military spending that Mr. Obama “would much rather spend the money on food stamps than he would on a strong military or support for our troops.”

Many Democrats have fought to preserve the program’s design, while a number of Republicans have called for scaling back the program, creating more work requirements, and turning SNAP’s operation over to individual states. Democrats and Republicans in February cut a deal that made some changes to how people qualify for the benefits but left its basic structure intact.

SNAP isn’t the only government-assistance program where persistent growth appears to have slowed. The number of people collecting benefits under a supplemental nutritional program for Women, Infants, and Children fell to 8.1 million in February, the lowest level in several years.

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Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.